j1290: gets off the Wellbutrin and on with life!

[Altostrata]

What times o'clock do you take your drugs? Do the headaches occur every day?

[j1290]

Thank you so much Altostrata! 

I got fed up with Wellbutrin XL side effects, so discussed with my medical team and I pivoted, now taking 300MG Wellbutrin XL in the AM, and 75mg tabs of  Wellbutrin IR spaced about 3 hours apart.   I'm writing this at bedtime of day 2, and I'm exploring to see if I can make this work, knowing I can go back to 450mg of XL if I need to.   

No headaches these 2 days, but still some weird head pressure and side effects, but overall I'd consider it a success this far.   

Maybe, just maybe I'll be able to stabilize with this combo for a few weeks and begin to slightly taper.  What I wouldn't give!

 

Spacing the dosing really has seemed to help.   I think it's going to be an important tool!

Thanks again.

[j1290]

Quick update...Amazingly, the combination of the 300mg XL wellbutrin and 2 x IR 75 mg pills later in the day worked pretty well.  

It took a few days to get steady and learn when to take the doses, but I've been keeping a journal, and things seemed to smooth out after a few weeks, which was my experience tapering other ADs.  

I'm doing 1000% better than I was this time last year, or even just a few short months ago with the severe headaches.   

I'm out of the name brand 300MG pills, so I have to make some sort of change.   I still have 150mg XL generics, so I'm taking one of those in the morning, along with a 75 mg IR, and then 3 more IR spaced by around 5 hours.   

I'm kinda shocked, but the first day has been fairly unremarkable.   I feel much better than I did taking 450mg of the XLs.  Now that I'm closely monitoring everything, I can't believe how little thought I put into taking this stuff all this time.  

My plan is to carefully monitor how I'm doing on this new combo, and if it goes well, I'm going to switch to all IR  in a few weeks.   If things get weird, I'm going to backup and go back to 2x150mg XL generics and 2x75mg IR.   I actually tried that combo last week for a day and things got weird with the side effects, and unexpectedly my workload skyrocketed so I went back to the previous 300mg and 2x75mgIR I had been on and things smoothed out.   

 

TL;DR  Today's the first day I'm at 300mg IR and 150mg XL, and I'm shocked that it's been fairly uneventful.  Maybe things feel a little bit weird, but minimal headache/pressure/locked up brain.  

 

I've been really scared that I may never get stabilized again, much less reduce this stuff, and I'm starting to have a little hope that I'll be able to get back to reducing one day soon.    I just didn't ever get the balance right last year when I tried.   I'm going frustratingly slow, but if I can switch to all IR and get stabilized on that, then I can start reducing and seeing how that goes.   I'm super tempted to just switch to all IR, but I'm trying not to upset the applecart by making any sudden changes.  After feeling lousy for the last year, I'm just darn scared, and when I was on all IR of a different manufacturer I had nothing but trouble.   

I really will get this figured out.   Yahoo!

 

[Altostrata]

There's no need to switch to all immediate-release bupropion, you'd taper from the part that's immediate-release, you can take other part in the XL form.

[j1290]

>There's no need to switch to all immediate-release bupropion, you'd taper from the part that's immediate-release, you can take other part in the XL form.

If my insurance will ever pay for the name brand 300mg Wellbutrin, that's probably what I'll do because I tolerated it so well.  

I'm on day 5 of taking all IR generics and I'm able to get by, but not comfortably.   It took 2 weeks for me to get used to the 300mg XL and 150mg IR, so I'm going to do my best to buckle up and hold on for 8 more days.  

Regardless, I'm still doing much better than I was in June, and the whole year before that.  I gotta remember that overall, I'm really starting to make some progress.  If I can't get stable taking all-IR tablets, I can try to get my doctor to work with an international pharmacy to get the 300mg XL.  In fact I might just have to get that in motion right now since things move so slowly.   

[j1290]

Day 7 of 450 MG IR...and I'm almost surprised to say I feel pretty good.   This week has had peaks and valleys, the worst being the first few days.

Still been able to function, and yesterday was pretty decent despite being at the edge of what is my threshold for discomfort.   I'm trying to do this 

in the most tolerable way, after spending the last year with gnarly migraines and whatnot.   So far, I've been able to control the headaches with Tylenol, 

and didn't have to take that yesterday.  

What I'm doing differently is I have a 3 ring binder with printouts of a PDF I got from surviving antidepressants I think, and I document all the side effects day by day.  It's nice to refer to so I can look for trends.  I'm more hopeful than I've been in at least a year that I can actually make some progress.   My hope is that in another week I'll be feeling pretty stable, so I can consider reducing.  

Slow and steady!

[Altostrata]

This pharmacy serves California https://honeybeehealth.com/drugs/wellbutrin-xl

[j1290]

8 hours ago, Altostrata said:

This pharmacy serves California https://honeybeehealth.com/drugs/wellbutrin-xl

Hey, that's a great idea, Altostrata!  I actually use honeybeehealth to get my generic IR Wellbutrin, I think I got the link from a post on here someplace.   

I use Honeybee for the generic IR tabs I've been taking, and found them to be very helpful.  I'll have my doctor send them a script for the 300mg XL Bupropion, so I have it just in case.  That'll be a big relief.   

I never even thought to look to see if the generic XL came in 300mg

 

As of 1am my time, the day went really solid as far as the withdrawal is concerned.   No major valleys or mood swings, just the familiar dizziness and small headache and weird sensations around my head, but that's around as good as it gets for me taking 450mg.   I've had these low level headaches and weird brain feelings for years, and just attributed it to my work, only vaguely putting it together with the Bupropion.   

I'm going to ride it out another week at this level to get familiar with this as a new baseline before reducing, which ought to be really interesting.  I'm cautiously optimistic.  Can't wait to try the 10% method and see where that goes.  

Thank you again!

[j1290]

Some days I think if I pivot any more with these meds I'll be going in a circle, and come think of it, I kinda am.  The headaches are back, no where near as bad as a few months ago, but impacting my daily life.   That said, I've got some options.  I'm seeing my doctor next week.  

A)  I'm on day 10 right now of the 450mg IR, hopefully by this time next week the headaches will have subsided.

B ) I'm going to ask for a blood pressure med that I heard helps with Wellbutrin headaches

C)  I'm going to see if insurance approved the 300MG XL Glaxco Smith-Kline factory(doubt it)

D)  I'm going to ask for a 300MG XL generic script in the meantime to get Accord brand at Honeybee Health, so I don't have a delay if I decide to swing back to 300MG XL+150 MG IR which I tolerated well(not perfect)

E)  I'm going to ask for another 150MG IR script to see if switching to another pill manufacturer helps with these headaches.   

I wish I could wave a magic wand and be off this stuff, but that's just not how it works.   I gotta be happy that even though I'm not 100%, I'm doing massively better than I was a few months ago.  It's inconvenient that it takes weeks for each change to stabilize, but I really am getting closer to finding a workable combination that will allow me to begin reducing.  

There's a really good chance that 300MG XL generic + 150MG IR will work with tolerable side effects, so I feel like things are really looking up.   

It would be really nice if the headaches would subside and I could just keep taking these IR and taper from them, however.  LOL

 

[Altostrata]

1 hour ago, j1290 said:

D)  I'm going to ask for a 300MG XL generic script in the meantime to get Accord brand at Honeybee Health, so I don't have a delay if I decide to swing back to 300MG XL+150 MG IR which I tolerated well(not perfect)

 

This probably will help.

 

Do the headaches occur at any particular times of day?

[j1290]

On 8/27/2022 at 2:01 PM, Altostrata said:

 

This probably will help.

 

Do the headaches occur at any particular times of day?

 

It's worth a shot.   No discernable pattern as of yet. I think there's a pretty good chance that by the time my new script for 300mg XL arrives next week, that these headaches will have diminished to a merely an annoying level.   I've always had them on any brand/release method of Wellbutrin, so I'll consider myself stable if they get to just a small daily irritation that doesn't require Tylenol or anything.   Then we'll see what happens when I reduce 10%.  My hope is that as I reduce my doseage, that they'll lighten up, but I also wouldn't be surprised if they get worse for a few weeks.  

 

I believe that the other manufacturer of IR I was using a few months ago just didn't work for me.  Now I realize I was in full blown withdrawal side effects, even at the full 450 mg dose, with the crippling migraines and flu like symptoms and aching joints.   

 

Fingers crossed that I'm over the worst of it at day 12, and things will start to get easier in the next week.   

 

I got off of a max dose of Effexor/Paxil, took me years, and it was so much simpler than this stuff.  I never had to figure out where to start, just took out some beads and gritted my teeth for a few weeks till my brain readjusted.  

This last year I couldn't get any combination to work so I would be stable, so I had a lot of feelings.  I'm really optomistic now that I'm getting close to dialing it in so that I can begin to taper and things will get more predictable.   Effexor was uncomfortable, but predictable.  I would be really happy to get there with the Wellbutrin.   

 

Can I ask your opinion or experience, Altostrata?   Did you think it's possible my headaches will become milder as I get adjusted to a lower doseage?   I'm hoping that the smaller the dose, the less the side effects.  I can't really say one way or another with the Effexor, to be honest.   I guess because it took so long.  

[Altostrata]

15 hours ago, j1290 said:

Did you think it's possible my headaches will become milder as I get adjusted to a lower doseage?   I'm hoping that the smaller the dose, the less the side effects.

Headache is a very common adverse effect of bupropion; it's concerning your medical team did not know this. It's very possible your dosage has been excessive for months. Generally, adverse effects decrease as dosage decreases.

 

Do you intend to stay on Wellbutrin for therapeutic reasons?

[j1290]

Haha I have lots of thoughts concerning my treatment and what's in my best interest that are better left unsaid.  

My big picture goal is to get off the meds and evaluate at that time with the help of professionals where I go next.   I would like to address any mood issues without meds, but Im not ruling them out, either. 

I'm feeling overall much better today.  I'm so much more optomistic I can find a path forward.  Really looking forward to reducing my dosage 

[j1290]

Just reviewed my entire history, its amazing how easy it is to forget the details.   Headaches have been frustrating me, so I did a 8% reduction 4 days ago.   As of now I don't feel any weirdo psych side effects that I did for a few days, vision shifting,  feeling low or weird pressure, etc but that could be wishful thinking on my part.  Great talk with my doctor, and got the blood pressure med to help with headache and I think my script for GSK 300mg Wellbutrin was approved, so I have that to pivot to if I can't get the all-IR to work.  Absent the headache, I feel pretty decent.  Much as I am tempted to reduce another half a pill in an effort to reduce the headaches, after reading my history I will soldier on a while longer at this dose to brake a bit.  I definitely feel uncomfortable with the head stuff, but I don't feel as aggro or out of control like I recall feeling this time last year.   I also have less blunted senses than I normally have had.   I'm also not as anxious and worried about the current side effects as I was last year.  Things have relatively smoothed out, I don't have weirdness like I did a bit ago where I felt I had to take a dose early.  I'm taking doses about 8 hours apart, with the slightly lower dose at around 1 am.  Maybe I need to get very strict on times.  Sooo glad I started keeping a serious log of reductions and side effects.  That's probably why I'm not anxious about everything.   There is no great combo of Wellbutrin at 450mg that doesn't give me headache problems, just different.   I have to ride out this out for a few weeks for things to settle on this reduction to be sure the headaches aren't masking other withdrawal side effects.   Mood wise as far as I can tell I feel fine.  If I rub my temples I feel 100x better, as far as I can tell this is just headache side effects.

[Altostrata]

18 hours ago, j1290 said:

Maybe I need to get very strict on times. 

 

Please be strict on times. When you're taking IR, this can be important.

[j1290]

21 hours ago, Altostrata said:

 

Please be strict on times. When you're taking IR, this can be important.

Thanks!   I will heed that good advice.   I've been pouring over my data from the last year, to see what worked and what didn't.  All these different generic manufacturers have made this process much more difficult.   I can only do my best.  

I think what happened is I switched meds too fast and too often last year and was never truly stable,  while reducing too fast, got unstable and then tried to re-instate on all IR and it failed, possibly because of the generic.  

The best combo I found is 300XL GSK + 150MG IR, and even that wasn't great.   After doing a lot of reading, I think it's in my best interest not to rush to make another reduction, no matter how much I want to because of these headaches.  I'm on day 5 right now, and really only had minor weird effects for a few days.  I feel like myself, like I'm in control, no roller coaster emotions or anything like that, just unpleasant headaches, and I've got a few different pills I can very carefully use to help with those if I need to.   

I'm still figuring out the rules to this.  Because Wellbutrin is so long lasting, I'm not really sure if I'm going to feel the effects of a reduction until day 10 or so, and the only way to be sure is experience.  

I'm committed to doing this reduction as low-stress and tolerable as possible.   It's so hard to sit on my hands and not try to reduce faster, though.  I've got to remember that I had crashes last year because I tried to move too fast.  I'm trying to remember what people said, just because I don't feel it right now, doesn't mean there aren't things adjusting and adapting in my body to the new lower level of WB still.   

TL;DR  Day 5 of an 8% reduction and I'm holding steady.  I will wait at least 2 weeks or longer between reductions.  In the meantime, I'll evaluate and measure what effect the reduction has had on me, and I expect to have to do battle with headaches.  That's inconvenient and unpleasant, but nothing as difficult as recovering from a crash.  

Who knows?  Maybe I'll start feeling the actual effects of a reduction at Day 14, and it'll take a full month for my brain to settle down.   I didn't go that slow last year, but this time I will.   I'm excited!

[Altostrata]

I'm guessing that inconsistent dosing has had more of an effect on your symptom pattern than changes in manufacturers.

[j1290]

1 hour ago, Altostrata said:

I'm guessing that inconsistent dosing has had more of an effect on your symptom pattern than changes in manufacturers.

Thanks, Altostrata!

That may very well be the case.   I'm no expert, but I'm starting to become optimistic that I can methodically taper off this with tolerable WD symptoms.   Will be interesting to see how long it takes for me to get to WDnormal, or if things have stabilized after just a few days.   I'm taking my lower dose of the 3 daily doses at midnight, and find that I have fewer headaches the first part of the day, but also some anxiety and weirdness in the morning too.   I'm also curious if that is directly related to the lower dose.   

Maybe, just maybe I can do a taper on this that doesn't result in me feeling really unbalanced for days on end.    If I had to put a number on it, I was maybe 10 or 20% bent out of shape the first few days after I reduced 5 days ago, which is nothing compared to the completely unstable, unbalanced feeling I've had for much of the last year, really.   I had the headaches of course, but also felt emotionally way off plumb.  

Very possible I'm jumping the gun and I'll get a wave of side effects, but considering how most of my posts haven't contained much optimism, I'll risk this one containing too much.   

I'll take uncomfortable headaches any day over feeling irritable!

[Altostrata]

We figure that "mild" or "tolerable" withdrawal symptoms will last only a few days, then you can allow your nervous system a couple more weeks to rest and be ready for the next reduction. That's the basis of the monthly reduction recommendation.

 

If those symptoms are intolerable or last more than a few days, most likely you need smaller reductions.

[j1290]

I think my harsh experience tapering Effexor has conditioned me to expect extreme mood swings while tapering.   I didn't expect I could taper and feel just a slight bump in the road emotionally.   Based on my experience changing time release/manufacturers this last few months, my bet would be that I'm over the worst for this reduction, and it was really nothing too concerning.   If that's the case, and I go slow and steady, letting my nervous system adjust between drops, I think before you know it, I'll be out of the woods with this head pressure/headache business.   

I just have to be smart and do this slowly, and it really will work!

Thanks as always, Altostrata!

[j1290]

Just spoke with Dr. Shipko that has written papers for around a decade about AD discontinuation difficulties.  Because I'm not an authority I won't get into great detail about what he said but it confirmed a lot of things that I've read here and elsewhere, it was just really nice to hear it from a supportive doctor, which I've found to be in short supply.  He said Wellbutrin is generally on the easy side of things to get off of, but of course for people that have been on it as long as I have, that I shouldn't be concerned with how long it takes, and to consider taking a 2-4 month break every 6 months or so to give my body time to rest.  I wish I'd talked to him years ago before I started on this tapering journey, and would recommend him to anybody who could use professional advice.  

 

I've wanted to speak to a doctor who was familiar with tapering from ADs for years and never found anyone, I'm still kinda shocked that I had that experience.  Highly recommend him.   

 

Today is day 6 of my 8% taper and I feel great.   Yesterday and today I didn't take any other pills like Tylenol, and tonight I haven't even had anything other than the "normal" weird head pressure that I get from Wellbutrin.  I'm not comfortable with the side effects I'm feeling, which is why I'm trying to taper to begin with, but this is currently tolerable, no doubt about it.   I don't have the irritability or anxiety or flu symptoms or the extreme headaches that I've had in the last year or so.   

Maybe things will go sideways in the next few days, but for now, I'm optimistic that this segment of my reduction will be successful.   For a guy that spent the last year trying to get an even keel, this is great news.   I'm really hoping I can do this taper with minimal disturbance to my day to day life.   I couldn't ask for more than that.  

[j1290]

Just a quick update to document this whole process.  After many hours of studying, I feel like I'm on track, keeping a note book using this checklist of symptoms that I've found useful.  Maybe if I get ambitious I'll make my own but it'll work for now.   I wish I had one of these filled out for every day of the last year, it would be so beneficial to be able to go look at exactly what I did and how I felt afterwards, etc.  I'm keeping track of the essentials such as how many days since reducing and details of that, but also what time I took my last dose and what amount, which I find very helpful when I'm taking pills 3 times a day and need all the help I can get keeping it straight.   

 

I used to really struggle with this before I got my act together.   My process is setting 2 alarms 10 minutes apart for each dose(I get caught up in work and forget the first one sometimes), ritually taking a photo of the pills (for identification purposes and dosage) before I take them, then noting it in my notebook.   It's actually really easy, and much less stress than when I'd take a pill in the morning before work, get to the office, and then freak out not remembering if I took one or not LOL  If I don't have my notebook I can just check my photos, easy peasy, and verify I took a pill or not in the morning.   I've switched from 8 hours between doses to 6 hours, which I'm hoping will help with getting to sleep at night since my last dose will be at an earlier time.   

 

Today is Day 10 from my 8% reduction from 450mg IR to 412mg IR Wellbutrin.   Hopefully I'm over the worst of the effects by now, but I'll be keeping an eye on things till day 14 or so before I celebrate.  My hunch is I am, but it sure isn't going to hurt to give my body time to re-adjust more.  Effexor felt 1000 times worse to reduce.  

 

Looking back at my history, I never really felt good and had side effects taking IR before switching to this manufacturer.   I still get weird pressure and headaches and what I call chemical anxiety, I want to get off these pills altogether, but if I can just get to a high functioning level where the side effects are so minimal they're unremarkable, I would consider that a huge win.   I'm a lot closer to that today than I was on June 1st, when I thought I would lose my job.  I'm kinda waiting for the other shoe to drop, for this current pill regimen to suddenly stop working and cause migraines and whatnot that I had previously, because I've had such problems on the IR.  Maybe, just maybe I've made the right changes to get stability.   I've been on such a roller coaster the last year I guess it's hard to believe I could ever find a new baseline that's functional.  My best guess is my foundation is fairly solid, but time will tell.   Effexor was rough to get off of, I had to really struggle with that, so I guess it makes sense that this will be the same.   

[Altostrata]

Your symptoms sound exactly like one would expect from adverse effects of bupropion.

 

15 minutes ago, j1290 said:

I've switched from 8 hours between doses to 6 hours, which I'm hoping will help with getting to sleep at night since my last dose will be at an earlier time.   

 

What times o'clock are you taking your drugs, with their dosages?

 

FYI Dr. Joseph Glenmullen's withdrawal symptom checklist

[j1290]

44 minutes ago, Altostrata said:

Your symptoms sound exactly like one would expect from adverse effects of bupropion.

 

 

What times o'clock are you taking your drugs, with their dosages?

 

FYI Dr. Joseph Glenmullen's withdrawal symptom checklist

 

Thanks so much, Altostrata, that Excel doc is just the ticket!

Yeah, I think my doctor gave me Effexor to deal with the side effects of Wellbutrin years ago.  Despite everything I'm glad that I'm taking charge of this situation. 

Currently I'm taking

 

150mg IR wellbutrin at 8:30AM

150mg IR wellbutrin at 2:30PM

112mg IR wellbutrin at 8:30PM

 

 

 

[Altostrata]

19 hours ago, j1290 said:

Yeah, I think my doctor gave me Effexor to deal with the side effects of Wellbutrin years ago.

 

That would be very odd reasoning, as Effexor also may cause "weird pressure and headaches and what I call chemical anxiety". Your doctor must think that your symptoms were psychological.

 

It appears your Wellbutrin taper is going welI.

[j1290]

Thanks Altostrata!

Just to document, day 18 since I dropped 8%.  Had issues with lack of sleep this week and paranoia, vivid dreams, etc.  Come think of it, I've had that happen even when I wasn't reducing.   Things are tolerable overall, 3/10.  Really looking forward to reducing another 8% in the hopes that the normal drug side effects might diminish.   My best guess is I'm fairly recovered from the last drop, and in the interest of keeping my symptoms mild, I'm going to wait another week before I consider when I want to make the next taper.   I'm impatient and want to hurry, but I have a healthy respect for withdrawal symptoms and how long it can take to reverse them.

It's hard to be consistant with the symptom rating scale day to day, but judging by my records, a steady 3/10 overall feeling is better than I've had since June 1.  I have to appreciate that things have improved drastically, even if they're not where I want to eventually be.  

[Altostrata]

11 hours ago, j1290 said:

I have to appreciate that things have improved drastically, even if they're not where I want to eventually be.  

 

Excellent!

[j1290]

On 9/19/2022 at 11:37 AM, Altostrata said:

 

Excellent!

Thanks so much!   I'm having a good day today.   Is it a window, or some sort of mood elevation related to meds, some kind of central nervous system over correction?   That's certainly possible, I don't have enough experience with tapering Wellbutrin to say for sure.   If I have to feel a side effect, I'd rather feel up than down, I suppose.   I don't feel particularly nervous or over energized, just less numb and the funnier version of myself than I've had in a long time.   I'm feeling positive about the direction I'm going with this and the slow pace.   Really interested to see what happens with the next reduction in a week or so.  I'm wondering if I will get migraines again, or will it just be some visual weirdness and vivd thoughts and dreams.    

[j1290]

Did some research, and hypomania has been studied during AD tapering and they say it's a possibility.   I definitely think I've had some symptoms of that previously when I was taking max dose of Effexor in addition to Wellbutrin, years ago.  I actually discussed it with my therapist last night and he didn't think I was hypomanic, but considering I felt uncharacteristically sad this morning, I'm going to keep an eye on the situation and for now chalk it up to the central nervous system still adjusting to the reduction, even on day 21.   

I want to rush this process like nobodys business, but my rational mind is really glad that I'm waiting a month.   I don't like the elevated feeling or headaches, but the truth is it feels weird to be on a lower dose.   Everything is more vivid, from feelings to colors.   I've been sleeping much better, fewer headaches and less pressure, and less mood elevation.   

I think in a week I'll be ready to do another drop.  Really interested to see what the side effects will be from the next 9% drop(half a 75mg pill) and how intense they are.   

I almost can't believe it but after a year of med changes and strong withdrawal symptoms, I've got almost 4 weeks of getting by with no more than a few blood pressure pills and a few Tylenols in addition to the ADs.  

This has been an engaging process, I'm really glad to get some payoff after investing so much energy to get here.   

[RachelSusan]

@j1290 I understand you wanting to rush the process.  I couldn't wait to get off of my anti-depressant and was always having to slow myself down. Your patience is both impressive and wise. It's good to read that the last four weeks have been good for you.

 

 

[j1290]

@RachelSusan  Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment!  It's a daily struggle, and I appreciate the encouragement.  I'm a year into this journey and it's been a bumpy ride, so I know it's in my best interest to take things slow.  

How was your liquid taper?  On a scale of 1-10, how bad were the side effects when you reduced?   

I've got a whole setup to do that myself, I love the idea of being so precise.  

[RachelSusan]

@j1290 Both my cold turkey and the begging of my taper were 10+++ (with 10 being the worst), if that is even possible. I spent days in agony from the pain, the tremors, saw walls undulating, unable to stand up, and brutal insomnia, just to name a few. The list went on and on for me. After the cold turkey my doctor reinstated me and it was much too high of a dose, then I continued to taper too fast because I didn't follow the suggestions on this site. Once I started to follow the instructions I started to improve. The last few years of my taper was easy.  I did it very slowly and it worked more in the background of my life instead of being front and center.  Which brings us to why I admire your patience.  I of all people understand the drive to get off. We just come to hate this stuff so much that we want off and then for me there was that secret belief that the sooner I got off the sooner I would feel better.  When in my case it was the sooner I would stop making changes to my dosage the sooner I would feel better.  Oh and in answer to the question about the liquid taper, it worked out great.  Moving from the pill to the liquid was a little bumpy even with a cross taper, but once I got that sorted out the liquid gave me complete control.

 

You have been suffering with this for a year, which is horrible, but I suspect that your recovery will move along faster than mine did because of how you are handling it. I look forward to following your recovery.

 

 

 

 

[Altostrata]

On 9/21/2022 at 1:48 PM, j1290 said:

I was taking max dose of Effexor in addition to Wellbutrin

 

Serotonergic overstimulation is a known risk of this combination.

 

You may be feeling a bit of activation from your Wellbutrin reduction, or you may simply be feeling better on less drug.

[j1290]

@RachelSusan

Sounds like you've gone through it!   I'm really glad to hear the hope in your story.   You described it perfectly. Through hard experience, I have opinions about ADs and everything surrounding them, and want them out of my life ASAP.  I was on the max dose of Effexor for a decade or so, and successfully tapered off of it, but that excluded me from life for several years.  

I think you're 100% right about moving the taper to the background of my life rather than the center of it.   I've been on this stuff a long time, a little bit longer won't make any difference, but going slow will make things more comfortable.   

Good to know about the cross taper, I'll be looking out for that.   Switching brands or to a different time release was actually much more eventful than my first 8% drop, so it makes sense that it could be rough to adapt to liquid.     

>When in my case it was the sooner I would stop making changes to my dosage the sooner I would feel better.

I'm going to try to take this to heart.   I made countless med changes this last year, some wiser than others.  Maybe I can do this slow so I can enjoy life instead of constantly gritting my teeth and hoping nobody notices the steam coming out my ears due to the w/d symptoms LOL. I could use a more peaceful existence.   

 

An easy taper.  What a concept!  Can't hurt to try, can it?  

[j1290]

25 minutes ago, Altostrata said:

 

Serotonergic overstimulation is a known risk of this combination.

 

You may be feeling a bit of activation from your Wellbutrin reduction, or you may simply be feeling better on less drug.

 

Thanks for the info, Altostrata!   

After referring to my daily withdrawal logs, I realize that the first day I reduced the Wellbutrin I actually felt an unnatural mood elevation.  My working theory is that I'm probably experiencing a diminishing echo of that effect, both up and down mood wise.  Activation is the perfect way to describe it.  

I feel much more myself than I have in a very long time, and enjoyed life and people more.   Instead of being so locked down emotionally, I had a lot of laughs with my mom on the phone today.   At the risk of sounding sentimental, it was worth every bit of the struggle this last year for that.  

As my own healthcare advocate, since side effects are tolerable and diminishing with time, I think I'm right on track.   At some point in the future I expect to pause for a few months just to let everything rest.

I didn't anticipate side effects being so subtle.   Effexor reductions were like clockwork, I'd start at a 10/10 irritable, which would gradually settle down after 2 or 3 weeks.    So far, Wellbutrin has been more like mood dips/peaks the first few days, along with vivid dreams and heightened sensations, all of which are smoothing out.  My headaches/head pressure/elevated feeling are definitely reduced.  I'll be interested to see if that intensifies when I make my next reduction.  Guess I'll find out next week!

[j1290]

Since I'm here, might as well update.   I'm definitely still getting some effects.  Maybe it's waves?  I have been feeling great in the morning, and in the afternoon/evening getting what I'm attributing to normal Wellbutrin side effects of head pressure and brain feeling on fire.   As best I can tell the w/d side effects have settled in regards to vividness of senses and whatnot.   Thinking back, yeah I'd bet my current situation of headache and whatnot match what I felt in years past.   It's reassuring to think that I'm not on some crazy wild ride, but a predictable one that is not as comfortable as I'd prefer.  Overall, I still feel less sedated, which is really nice.  I'm looking forward to next week's reduction.   We'll see, though.  If things feel off I can wait.   My working theory is that right now, I'm at WDnormal.  There is no manufacturer or timing release of Wellbutrin at this dosage that is comfortable.  Heaven knows I've tried a bunch.   I think the w/d side effects are the vivid dreams and intense senses, visual sensitivity, etc that took 2 or 3 weeks to go away, and the head stuff is just the same ol, same ol AD side effects.   Maybe I'm being a polyanna but it feels like the AD symptoms aren't as strong as they used to be.   If I could get those to go down a few points on a scale of 1-10, it would really make my life easier.   This is all progress and good news.  In my search to find a stable drug regimen that I could taper from this last year, things were so confusing and unpredictable, to have at least a good guess at what to expect next is a welcome relief.